A Note To Those In Dept 20/RTC Who Want To Leave

The following message was posted to the alt.religion.scientology newsgroup, on Feb. 23, 2000. It is reproduced here by the kind permission of its author, Robert Vaughn Young.

To those who don't know me, I was in Scientology for about 21 years. Until Jesse Prince stepped forward, I was the highest-ranking Scientology executive to speak about the organization without its approval. I served in and saw virtually every echelon of the organization, from a franchise where I started in 1969 to working directly with David Miscavige. About 18 of those years was spent in or senior to Dept. 20 (now called the Office the Special Affairs or OSA), the section that deals with the ''enemies'' of the organization, which comes to mean anyone who disagrees with or criticizes any aspect of Scientology, Hubbard or ''management.'' Thus it is Dept. 20 (and now also RTC) that deals with the media, the courts, government agencies, critics and ARS itself.
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To anyone in Dept. 20/RTC who is considering leaving the organization, I know the feeling. I served at your echelon(s) for two decades.

I also know how it was engrained in us that such a feeling was due to ''withholds.'' Well, for openers, even Hubbard admits there are other reasons for people leaving, such as bad seniors and misapplication of policy. Do some research. Go to the policy index or to SIR and look up ''blow.'' (Borrow another terminal because they'll probably monitor such word searches now.) And if you can't find the reference, then someone has deleted it without LRH's okay.. Just find some of the older, earlier green and red volumes. They are pre-edit. You'll find the LRH reference...

It's really quite amazing but despite these other reasons that Hubbard gives for good staff leaving, I've never once seen an organization cite it. Read up on it and see if you can think of an instance. I'll bet you can't.

What I'm trying to say is that your may be experiencing exactly what Hubbard talks about, even though no executive will ever admit to it. Your job may have become intolerable because of the misapplication of policy by bad seniors. These same seniors then cover their asses by blaming the staff member. It happens all the time. You've seen it.

How To Leave

It is a fear of every staff member that if they try to leave, they will be stopped and I don't even mean physically, as that is against the law. But you know what? That hardly ever crosses the minds of those who leave. Probably 99% of us choose to leave secretly because we know the control they can exert. Yet really all you have to do is walk away. But if you are fearful that they will stop you, call the police. Tell them that you want to leave and are afraid you'll be stopped as you try to get your stuff and you want an escort. The police will help. It will definitely get the attention of Dept. 20/RTC! (laughing)

However you choose to leave, have a route and a location to go to and know that they have the name, address and phone number of every non-Scientology family member and friend of yours. They will be called under a variety of pretexts looking for you. (When I left, my family was called saying I had inherited some money but they couldn't find me. Did they know where I was?) Either make sure your friends/family are warned and can handle the call or, if you feel threatened, just notify the police.

What To Do After You Leave

Get some sleep in a safe location. Even a motel is good but know they will call motels so, if you can, check in under another name. Have some regular meals. Take some walks or go somewhere in the real world, but make sure you go with a friend who can intervene at your pre-arranged behalf if they accost you on the street. Know that it is illegal in most states to be ''stalked.'' If you feel you are being stalked, notify the police.

Meanwhile, relax. Get your thoughts back. Talk to some really close, trusted friends or family about your experiences or better yet, see if you can find another former staff member who knows what it was like and won't ask you ridiculous questions or shake their head in disbelief at what you did or saw.

Who Else To Call

If I were leaving today and couldn't find a former staff member that I was comfortable with (hey, we know what types were on staff!), I'd contact Stacy. She's been through it (brutally) and knows what it is like to leave. I'd look her up on the Net and find the best way to phone her. (Most public libraries have Net connections. If you don't know how, ask the librarian how you can search alt.religion.scientology and feed in ''Stacy'' for her number. I put it this way for anyone who reads this months or years from now, rather than pass on a number that can change. I called her and she said on 2/20/00 to call her office at 727-467-9335, her cell phone at 727-723-9417, her home at 727-593-2168 or reach her at stacybrooks@mciworld.com.)

Should You Speak Publicly?

If you feel there were wrongs or abuses in the organization, should you speak publicly? First, if you feel there were violations of the law, you should contact the authorities. That is simply the law. It is the responsibility of every citizen. If you need an attorney, my recommendation is to deal with one who knows something about Scientology. Otherwise you'll find yourself giving a five-day intro lecture just to get to your point and even then, they won't understand or simply won't believe you. If you were involved in any wrongs, the advice of an attorney is also important.

As to ''speaking out,'' that is a very personal decision that should be considered only after you have had considerable time to settle down. Don't rush into it or away from it. Your own initial peace of mind is the most important. Hopefully you won't have to rush out and find a job or leap into the real world too quickly. That's where support comes in. Believe me, I know that routine. So does Stacy. Fortunately, there are more people now who have come to realize how important this is.

Meanwhile, practice your Grade Zero. Discover that you REALLY have the ability to talk to ANYone on ANY subject now. Compare that to your ''earlier life'' when the longer you were in there and the higher in the organization you rose, the fewer people you could talk to on fewer subjects, an inverted Grade Zero.

Should You Take Documents With You?

There are documents that belong to you, such as letters, photographs, certificates, knowledge reports and the like. If you leave them, you can never get them again and you can always throw them away later. But as for internal documents - dispatches, debriefs, transcripts, reports - those belong to the organization. The only time I would advocate that a person take documents is if they show a crime has been committed and they are taken to the proper authorities. As to what is a ''crime'' depends on the local or federal jurisdiction. It could range from illegal financial transactions to perjury to destroying evidence to illegal wiretaps to practicing medicine without a license to illegal detention to physical assault, etc. It is not a crime giving evidence to the proper authorities in good faith and there are a lot of us who left who wished we had done so because it was merely our word against theirs, as opposed to their documents against their denial. The safest bet is to contact the proper authorities and tell them what you know and ask them what you should do.

Why Do I Say All This?

First of all, the above are just my own opinions. Others may have a different view.

Second, I don't recommend a person leave staff. But I think a person who wants to (and this was prefaced early, saying it was for those considering it), should have the freedom to do so. We all know the organization tries to stop it. In fact, their whole ''routing out'' process is designed to change your mind. Look at the routing out form and consider the ''EP'' of the sec checks, eh?

I want you to know that it is not a crime to leave an organization any more than it was a crime to join. It is your right as an American and the law and the Constitution are with you. If you are concerned about ''contracts,'' consult an attorney familiar with Scientology contracts.